Mantianak Botanical Garden and Ecological Zoo is an eco-tourism site located at Sugbongcogon, Misamis Oriental which would take 1.5 hours travel time from Cagayan de Oro City.
I have already heard about this place every time I got a chance to visit my grandmother in Medina but I was not interested at first because of its name. I felt like it’s a creepy place and my mind was already set to a ‘Tianak’, a vampire Philippine methodology creature that imitates the form of a child and once it is picked up by the victim, it reverts to its true form and attacks the victim. True enough, the name of the park was named after the town’s name Mantianak as the place was rumored to be a place of Tianaks.
Does the name scares you already? It’s not actually what you think it is.
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| Me and my little cousin Zane |
Mantianak Park is a nice place for relaxation as well as for educational tours. Children will surely enjoy the encounter of different kinds of animals particularly birds, tigers, rabbits and many others.
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| Me and Zane feeding the Doves. |
The bird feeding at the park was one of the highlights during our visit. You can buy bird’s food (corn seed) at the shop for only 5 pesos.
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| Zane feeding the doves. |
We were the only visitors at the park during our visit that is why the doves were so eager to get a single grain of corn seed. My cousin Zane was a little bit scared because she might get skin cuts from the dove’s claws.
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| Zane and the little pony. |
Aside from doves, birds of different species were present. There were blue birds similar to that of Rio Movie and a lot talking birds which will surprise visitors and calls them “Pangit”. If the birds are in a good mood, they will call all visitors Gwapa, Gwapo… sometimes they will ask.. “Ayo! Naay tao?” (Anybody there?)
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| This white bird is very talkative. |
As visitors paved through this pathway, they will experience different kinds of animals. Below are some of the photos of the animals you will find in this park.
The tigers looked very calm but don’t get near them as they will surely grab you.
I was so happy that I captured this peacock opening its wings while we were there.
There were ostriches too! However, they all look a bit malnourished.
There’s also a crocodile in the park. Although it wasn’t moving it is still very scary to look at. There were also snakes, goats, turkey, monkeys, wild pig and etc.
There were also lots of rabbits in the place. My cousin took her time playing with these little creatures.
Mantianak Zoo is managed by the Municipality of Sugbongcogon. If you plan to visit this place kindly take note of the entrance fees, for adults is Php 100 and children is Php 50. Discounts are given for educational tour purposes.
If you’re planning for an ecological adventure or an educational tour, you might want to check this out.
